230 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.

Letter Bk. IV

[Sharpe to Calvert.]

Copy of 141^st Letter to M^r Calvert. Dated Annapolis the 2^d
of Oct^r 1765 transmitted by Capt.
Sir
In my Letters to His Ldp & Yourself of the 10^th of last
Month I gave an Account of the violent Proceedings of a
Number of the Inhabitants of this Place on the Arrival of the
Person appointed under the late Act of Parliament to distri-
bute the Stamp't Paper in this Province I now write to inform
you that a few Days after the Date of those Letters a Petition
was presented to me signed by all the Practising Lawyers of
the Provincial Court (which was then sitting) & many other
Gentlemen requesting me as the Town was clear of the Small
Pox to convene the Assembly before the Day to which it stood
prorogued & I found that it was the Universal Desire of the
People that their Representatives should meet time enough to
send some of their Members to New York in order to join
with those who should be there from the other Colonies in a
Memorial or Petition for a Repeal of the Stamp Act & as
there was great Reason to apprehend that my Refusal to
comply with their Request would render the Province a Scene
of Confusion & Disorder the Gentlemen of the Council when
I submitted the Affair to their Consideration advised me to
meet the Assembly on the 23^d of Sept^r when notwithstanding
the short notice given them there was almost a full House &
I opened the Session with the inclosed Speech which will I
hope meet with His Ldp's Approbation. You will perceive
by the answer of the Lower House that after they had
appointed three of their Members to go to New York & had
made some Resolves to shew their Sense of the Stamp Act, in
which however they stop short of some of the other Colonies,
they desired me to give them a short Recess which you must
be sensible I could not refuse to do, so that the Assembly at
present stands prorogued to the 30^th Inst. You will see by a
Message I sent the two Houses before they broke up that I
wanted to be advised by them what to do with the Stamp't
paper destined for this Province in case it should arrive here
before their next Meeting & what answers they respectively
gave me, should it arrive & the Master of the Vessel apply to
me according to my Expectation I shall follow the Council's
Advice tho the Consequence thereof must be a total Stagna-
tion of all Business which indeed I am persuaded would be
the Case were the Papers to be landed & lodged in a Place of
Security nor do I think if the Act is continued that any Person
will dare to use the Stamps here for some time, or any one
be found to act as Distributor of them for tho M^r Hood does
not choose to resign he will not I believe for some time